Fred Raby
fraby@hook1.com
hook1.com
"FISHING WITH FRED"
Covering Tidal Waters And Impoundments
Where Do I Look For Fish
The bedding season is over, bass have moved out of the shallows. Where do I look for fish, what baits do I use, how can I put a limit in the boat. The answer to these questions is diversify.
We all have our favorite baits to use and our favorite spots. Typically when the spawn is over the bass will move to the deeper water and points, or the mouths of creeks. There they will wait on the shad moving into the pockets or down the river. Sounds like a great time to use a shad imitation, Buzzbait, Spinnerbait, and Crankbaits are all great choices for these locations. Having an idea of where to look and what to use fine tune your skills to boat your limit.
The natural thing to do is to start with a Buzzbait. It will cover a large area in a short time and has the fish attracting action that will bring fish up from deep water or from surrounding areas.
Do not ignore this bait durning mid-day, some of my bigger fish have come on a Buzzbait with the sun high overhead.
A Spinnerbait has some of the best versatility of any bait in your tackle box. It can be buzzed on the surface, swim like a minnow, or slow rolled over the timber and brush tops or even jigged off the bottom. I like a single blade on a ¼ or ½ ounce bait it gives me the greatest range of action and I can work it the way I find the fish like best.
If the fish have not responded to the Buzzbait or Spinnerbait many times they are deeper or just looking for a different action The crankbiat will give a better imitation of baitfish and will often produce more fish when they are in deeper water. Shad and Baby Bass colors are good choices. Work the bait well off of the points in deeper water, and choose a bait that will 'bump the bottom'. Do not be afraid of losing a bait, you have to put it where the fish live to catch 'em. If your bait does hang up a lot of
times it will float up if you release the pressure, if not a good lure
retriever is a great investment.
Soft plastics are a great back up for the above tactics when the fish seem to have 'lock-jaw'. A worm or jig dropped in front of their nose is irrestable. I mention this last because the idea is to put fish in the boat, if they are biting the Buzzbait, Spinnerbait or Crank bait the action is a lot faster and it is always fun to put 'em in the boat.
Good luck
Fred Raby
